Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Can’t Argue With That
Cecilia Croft had thought that since Sebastian Hawthorne ate her lunch, he would at least grant her a meeting, considering they were acquaintances.
However, she waited until everyone else in the reception hall had left, but still received no notice that Sebastian Hawthorne would see her.
The young woman sitting beside her rose from her seat and whispered.
"Let’s go. We can try again tomorrow."
Cecilia Croft gave a wry smile. "I’ll wait a little longer."
The young woman sighed softly. "If you don’t leave soon, the receptionist will come and kick you out."
Cecilia Croft remained seated without moving. The young woman stopped trying to persuade her, shook her head, and left.
Soon, Cecilia Croft was the only one left in the reception hall.
Her gaze remained fixed on the CEO’s private elevator, not daring to waver for even a moment.
Meanwhile, her mind was racing.
’I can’t just sit here and do nothing.’
’I have to prove my worth.’
She opened her phone, found Sebastian Hawthorne’s contact information, and quickly drafted a plan for how the Hawthorne Group should launch its operations in Silvercrest, including a preliminary proposal for handling key project milestones.
If Sebastian Hawthorne wasn’t going to play by the rules of sentiment, then she would make him see her value.
She had lived in Silvercrest for ten years and had been an entrepreneur for seven.
She was extremely familiar with the commercial planning landscape in Silvercrest.
Since Sebastian Hawthorne wanted to build a reserve factory for the Hawthorne Group in Silvercrest, she could draft excellent site selection plans and proposals to help the Hawthorne Group maximize its profits in the shortest possible time.
These strategies were already deeply ingrained in her mind; she had just been waiting for Vantage to mature a bit more before setting the plans in motion.
Too bad the whole thing with Jessica Keller had happened.
Now, these plans could be perfectly replicated for the Hawthorne Group’s Silvercrest branch.
Cecilia Croft compiled all the documents and sent them over.
However, her message was left on read.
Cecilia Croft stared at the simple word "Read," then quickly tapped out another line on the screen and sent it to Sebastian Hawthorne.
"Mr. Hawthorne, just let me work for the Hawthorne Group. In only one year, I can help you achieve all your goals in Silvercrest. No one else can deliver these results but me."
Cecilia Croft felt she had shown her utmost sincerity.
This time, Sebastian Hawthorne replied.
"That’s a bold claim. Are you saying you’re better than all the elite talent in my company?"
Seeing his reply, Cecilia’s fingers flew across the screen as she typed her response.
"I’m well aware you have many elites under you, Mr. Hawthorne, but as the saying goes, even a mighty dragon is no match for a local snake. I don’t deny their talent, but once they’re in Silvercrest, thousands of kilometers away, I’m afraid they’ll still need a local expert like me to assist them."
For a large corporation like the Hawthorne Group, time was money.
If she could deliver the results Sebastian Hawthorne wanted in a fraction of the time, he could use the time saved to expand into other business ventures.
Cecilia Croft admitted she had been intimidated earlier when she saw the nation’s top business elites surrounding Sebastian Hawthorne, but she had forgotten that her home turf wasn’t Karthus.
’He had no reason to refuse her,’ she thought.
’After all, he wouldn’t have to do a thing—he wouldn’t even need to show up—to reap the greatest rewards.’
Meanwhile, the Croft Group could seize the opportunity to sell off its land with her sister’s help, alleviating their current repayment pressure.
However, the man left her on read again.
Cecilia Croft stared resentfully at her phone, but after a long wait, no reply came.
She felt completely drained of energy.
The process of waiting for the outcome was absolute torture.
The receptionist never came to shoo her away. Letting go of all pretense, she slumped over the table, her gaze fixed on the CEO’s private elevator. After a while, her eyelids began to droop.
It was already past eight o’clock when Sebastian Hawthorne stepped out of the elevator.
The receptionist saw him and immediately glanced toward the reception hall.
She had expected Cecilia Croft to spring up and chase after him, but to her surprise, there was no movement from within.
Seeing that Sebastian Hawthorne was about to leave, the receptionist hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.
"Mr. Hawthorne."
"Miss Croft, the one who came this morning, is still in the reception hall."
A subtle change flickered across Sebastian Hawthorne’s stern, cold face upon hearing her words.
He stopped and glanced in the direction of the reception hall.
From his vantage point, he could just see Cecilia Croft, her chin resting on the table and her eyes shut tight.
Her face was turned toward the elevator; she had clearly fallen asleep while on watch.
The receptionist clearly caught a flicker of amusement in Sebastian Hawthorne’s deep, dark eyes. She let out a silent sigh of relief, glad she had made the right gamble.
’Mr. Hawthorne’s attitude toward Miss Croft is definitely not ordinary.’
Watching the man turn and walk toward the reception hall, the receptionist fought to suppress a grin.
’She definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight; her future was so bright she couldn’t close her eyes.’
Sebastian Hawthorne walked to the table and stopped, gazing down at the woman who was clearly asleep.
She must have been exhausted, as she didn’t show the slightest sign of awareness even when someone was standing right in front of her.
Her sleeping face wasn’t what one would call graceful.
But fate had been kind, blessing her with a beautiful face. Even in such a posture, she just looked endearingly innocent and cute.
Cecilia Croft was jolted awake by a crisp, firm rapping on the table.
She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a perfectly tailored black custom suit. Her heart sank. She wanted to move, but her neck was incredibly stiff.
Her gaze traveled upward to meet Sebastian Hawthorne’s condescending, indifferent, and disdainful stare.
"Miss Croft, your approach to job hunting seems a little unprofessional."
A ghost of a smile played on his lips, and his dismissive gaze seemed to say, ’Go home and get some sleep. Stop wasting everyone’s time here.’
Cecilia Croft wanted to straighten up and look presentable for him.
But the slightest movement sent a sharp pain through her neck, as if it were about to snap. She couldn’t help but gasp, and forgetting her embarrassment, she quickly pleaded for help.
"Mr. Hawthorne, help me! I think I broke my neck! I can’t move!"
Sebastian Hawthorne froze for a second. Seeing her face pale with genuine pain, his dark eyes tightened, and he rushed over to support her.
In the process, Cecilia Croft felt a muscle in her neck spasm violently, and the pain was so intense she felt like her soul was about to leave her body.
Ultimately, Sebastian Hawthorne took Cecilia Croft to the hospital.
With a grim expression, Sebastian Hawthorne watched as the doctor fitted Cecilia Croft with a neck brace, then listened silently to the doctor’s instructions.
"The patient caught a chill, causing a muscle spasm. Frequent stiff necks can be an early sign of cervical issues. You should pay more attention to her sleeping posture. As her partner, you should help correct it for her."
Just as Cecilia Croft was about to deny that Sebastian Hawthorne was her partner, the grim-faced man nodded in agreement.
Her open mouth snapped shut, and she slowly lowered her head.
The movement pulled at her neck, making her wince in pain.
Sebastian Hawthorne caught this from the corner of his eye. Frowning, he walked over and gently lifted her head for her.
"You’re acting like you’ve never been to school."
His voice was cold, but his movements were gentle.
Cecilia Croft looked at him blankly. "What do you mean?"
Sebastian Hawthorne: "You’re an idiot."
Cecilia Croft: "..."
’I can’t even argue with that,’ she thought. ’What am I supposed to do?’
